Piirainen, Bish cases air on ‘Dark Minds’

The cases of Holly Piirainen and Molly Anne Bish, two Central Massachusetts girls who were abducted and murdered, will be featured on the Investigation Discovery program “Dark Minds” this week.

The program will also discuss a possible link between the Bish and Piirainen cases and the cases of Lisa White and Janice Pockett, Connecticut girls who disappeared in the 1970s and have never been found.

Holly Piirainen disappeared from Sturbridge in 1993, and her remains were found a few months later in Brimfield. Miss Bish was abducted from Comins Pond in Warren in 2000, and her remains were found in Palmer three years later.

Crime author M. William Phelps and John Kelly of the New Jersey-based criminal profiling team STALK Inc. comprise the cast of the program, which looks at serial killings and consults with a man who confessed to at least a half dozen murders and is behind bars for life. He is known only as “Raven.”

Mr. Phelps and Mr. Kelly interview families, review available evidence and talk with Raven about the cases, hoping to gain insight into possible suspects.

They also hope that reminding people the cases are unsolved might bring forth new information.

“I’m hoping, and believe me I’m not in this for entertainment value, that these shows are going to jog people’s memories,” said Mr. Kelly, who has worked with the Bish and Piirainen families.

While the program cannot mention the names of men listed as persons of interest in the cases, it clearly delves into the possibility that Rodney Stanger, a former resident of Central Massachusetts, fits the profile.

Mr. Stanger is incarcerated in Florida after killing his longtime girlfriend in 2008. Some have said that a composite sketch of a man Miss Bish’s mother, Magi M. Bish, saw near the pond the day before her daughter’s disappearance resembles Mr. Stanger.

There were also some items, such as hair clips and jewelry suitable for a child or young teenager, that were reportedly found in his trailer home sometime after the killing.

Mr. Kelly believes that the killer in these cases may have kept trophies; items removed from his victims to remind him of his crimes.

The program does present new information from Holly’s brother, Zachary Piirainen, who was with her the day they walked to a neighbor’s house to see a litter of puppies. Mr. Piirainen talks about his struggles since the day he last saw his sister and reveals that therapists believe he may have seen more than he initially remembered.

Mr. Kelly theorizes that the four cases may be linked, especially since the Pockett, White and Piirainen disappearances are very similar.

This marks the second time the show has filmed in Massachusetts. Last year, in its first season, the show profiled the murders of five Worcester women known to work as prostitutes.

The show, the second of eight in this season, is called “Dark Minds: Blonde, Blue-Eyed, and Gone.” It airs at 10 p.m. Wednesday on the Investigation Discovery network.

Contact Kim Ring at kring@telegram.com Follow her on Twitter @kimmring.